I'm not a Dandelion
by Kessie-Louise
Summary: In which Sabrina (OC/UX Player) confides in Ventus about a particularly concerning matter, not that Ven is prepared to hear it… [KHUX bias with possible spoilers up to Mission 880][oneshot]


Most of the time, Ventus really felt like he didn't belong in the clock tower with the other Union leaders. As far as he understood, he wasn't the oldest, strongest, or even the one with the most friends. As honored as he felt among the others, there was the ever present feeling that there had been a mistake somewhere in their formation.

"Hey Ven!" the cheerful voice of Skuld called out to him, "You've got a letter!"

"I do?" became his immediate answer when she pulled out said letter to give to him. Skuld only gave a wide smile and a nod before leaving again. It was odd, but Ven didn't think much about it at the time. He opened up the letter and started to read its contents;

'Meet me in the square at noon. I'd like to talk to you about something.

-Sabrina'

Ven looked the note over and wondered for a moment if it was really meant for him or not. Sabrina was Ephemer and Skuld's friend, right? What did she want with him? They had only really met and knew in each other in passing at this point. He actually found himself surprised that she had remembered his name.

No matter the reason, Ventus gathered his things and left the clock tower- glad for the momentary distraction in an otherwise dull day.

. . .

Ventus arrived at the square at just a little before noon. He quickly scanned the area for Ephemer's friend, hoping that he could even remember what she looked like. Dark brown hair that looked more black than brown, eyes that held a lighter shade of brown that shone when she was happy, tanned but fair skin that looked smooth to the touch...

There she was, sitting at the fountain with her keyblade in her lap. Ven hadn't meant to, but he took a moment to appreciate how fondly she looked over the keyblade- her hand gently grazing against the weapon and tracing the unique nicks and scratches that she had placed there from her missions. Sabrina was a very observant keyblade wielder, but an average fighter at best. She had caught Ven from the corner of her eye and immediately looked up at him. Knowing that he had been caught, Ventus gave a sheepish grin and a scratch behind his head as he moved a bit closer to her.

"Thanks for coming." Sabrina greeted, putting her keyblade away.

"There's not much going on at the moment," Ven agreed, "So it wasn't much of an issue."

Sabrina gave a calm smile in return. She hadn't been completely unaware that the new Union leaders didn't have much on their agenda today -Ephemer and her had been spending more time together since they've reconnected, after all- and just hearing that affirmation made her relax a bit.

"Wanna go for a walk?" the girl suggested- whether that coy brush of her dark hair was intentional or not was up for interpretation. Ventus was quick to notice it and could feel his face become hotter.

"S-sure." he found himself agreeing. Sabrina once more gave him a smile (it was a real bright one, honestly, and very genuine) and the two left the square to some place a bit more quiet; Ven had suggested the lighthouse, and Sabrina had agreed in a heartbeat.

The walk to the lighthouse was a silent one. Neither had much to say to the other until they entered the lighthouse. Once they had found a small nook by a window, it was Sabrina who broke the silence with;

"Thank you (again) for meeting me Ventus, I know this might be weird for you..."

"Just Ven is fine." the boy automatically replied. "But you said you wanted to talk about something? I don't know..."

At this point, Sabrina's bright attitude dimmed as she stood up and started to pace.

"I..." she started, but faltered. She looked to Ven for a moment and told him in a still tone, "I have a secret and I think you're the only one I can talk to about it."

Ventus looked Sabrina over and (while skeptic) asked, "What is it?"

Once more, Sabrina hesitated. Her fingers nervously intertwined with each other and she shifted her weight as her mind debated whether she should actually tell him or not. "Ven…" she carefully admitted, "I don't think I'm a Dandelion."

Hearing this, a distinct crawl went up Ventus's back. "B-but how? I mean, you wouldn't have-" Ven started to say, but caught himself midway. Instead he stammered, "W-what would make you think that?"

Sabrina started pacing again. "I have memories." she claimed. "I have memories that I denied Master Ava's invitation to join the Dandelions."

"You… _do_?!"

"And then," she went on, ignoring him, "I have dreams of… of dying."

Ven froze at the idea. Dreams of _dying_? He hadn't been at the Keyblade Graveyard when the fighting took place, just as Master Ava had told him to, but he couldn't imagine what it would have been like to _die_ there either. _Assuming_ that whatever Sabrina had to say wasn't just some weird dream she had from having too much chocolate before bedtime…

But to dream about dying? Ven shivered at the thought of it. No one would lie about that either, would they?

By now, Sabrina had been lost in her own thoughts. Her eyes were closed as she continued to pace, and without Ventus's permission, Sabrina recalled her dream as if she had just woken up;

"I'm laying in a barren wasteland, and there are stars -the hearts of the other keyblade wielders- rising up into the sky. And just when I think that I'm going to join them, Ephemer shows up. I'm so_ mad_ at him- but I'm also so _relived_ that he was okay. Skuld arrives as well, and Chirithy, Chirithy envelopes me in this light. I think I'm about to die, but a part of me knows that I'm not as well. I'm safe with them. I _feel_ safe. If the Keyblade War did happen, then I was supposed to die- but because of Ephemer and Skuld… I didn't. I'm not a Dandelion but they saved me anyway. The worse part about my dream is that it doesn't feel like a dream. It happened, I know it did, but I can't prove it right now."

Sabrina opened her eyes and looked Ventus right in the eye. "Don't tell them, Ven. Please." she begged him. "And above all, don't tell Chirithy."

Hearing this, the boy recoiled a bit. So he didn't like the idea of lying or holding back information from his fellow Union leaders, but not telling _Chirithy_?! Whatever Sabrina feared, it must have been pretty serious for her to mention not telling Chirithy about this. Wouldn't Chirithy be the best person (er… creature) to talk to about it? Despite the multiple alarm bells going off in Ven's head, he took one look as Sabrina's worried face and found that he could deny her the request.

But there was something- something that stopped him from immediately accepting the secret.

"Why me?" he asked her. "I'm not the oldest, or the strongest. So why tell me when you could just as easily tell Lauriam or Brain?"

Sabrina offered no hesitation as she said, "I trust you." in an incredibly calm manner.

"But _why_?" Ven demanded. "We don't even know each other!"

Sabrina was silent for a moment, trying to think of why Ventus should trust her. Thoughtfully biting her lower lip, she looked back up again as she started to throw her pitiful excuses at him.

"What if I said I saw it in a dream?"

"Nope."

"In the Book of Prophecies?"

"That's a good joke."

Exasperated now, Sabrina then said, "What if I told you that I thought you were kinda, sorta, really cute?"

"I..." Ven faltered, caught off guard by the idea, "I'd still think you're lying."

As Sabrina tried to find some other excuse, Ven could see hopelessness growing in her eyes. In realizing that she had no way to convince Ventus that he could trust her, Sabrina cut her losses with a small sigh.

"Thanks for listening anyway, Ven." she told him before starting to leave.

"W-wait!" the boy called out. "I didn't say I wouldn't keep it a secret! It's just… a lot, you know? I talk to Chirithy all the time- what could be so awful about thinking you're not a Dandelion that you wouldn't tell Chirithy?"

For a long time, Sabrina didn't say a word. "Let's just say," she found herself saying, "Lauriam isn't the only one looking for answers."

Ventus didn't know how to react to the idea and remained silent. Sabrina, herself, was still hesitating on something else.

"And Ven?"

"Yes Sabrina?" he answered, far too quickly.

"I have another thought- a small one, but still concerning. I think the Darklings know too. And if time comes that I need to prove that I'm not a Dandelion, they would be the star witnesses."

Ven gave a small nod of acknowledgment, but said nothing further before Sabrina finally left. But the idea struck within him- if Sabrina was not a Dandelion before the Keyblade War, should she had been spared? The boy looked it up when he returned to the clock tower and the answer he found was the answer he expected;

No.


End file.
